Desert Heat
by Iolana Khenemet
Summary: [preGoldeneye] 006 and 007 are in trouble.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Desert HeatAuthor: Iolana Khenemet  
Fandom: JB - Goldeneye  
Rating: T  
Summary: 006 and 007 in trouble  
Warnings: swear words  
Beta: Thanks to CaptainMac  
A/N: Merry Christmas to everyone. I haven't been as active recently as I would have liked to be but I'm still around and still working on my WIPs like TTT and "listen how the Madrigal sings" but have a few difficulties with them. Meanwhile, I hope you'll enjoy this.  
Disclaimer: James Bond is the creation of Ian Fleming. The characters in the story are the property of Ian Fleming and the filming companies that produce Bond Films (United Artists, MGM, Eon). No copyright infringement intended. No profit is gained by this work.

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"Your journey ends here, Mr. Bond." 

007 gritted his teeth as they tied his left foot to the last remaining pole, which had been driven deeply into the desert sand, and pulled the rope tight. He tested the bindings immediately only to find that they were unrelenting and that he could barely move. He stared up at The Barracuda defiantly. "That remains to be seen."

The man known as The Barracuda snorted and smirked. "We'll see indeed. I'll come back and have a good laugh at the bleached bones that'll be all that's left of you." The megalomaniac turned to leave but stopped to speak once more. "I hope you enjoy your visit to our beautiful desert." He looked over to the jeep and shook his head. "Too bad that your partner seems to intend to miss the show."

Two men dragged 006 from the jeep and tied him to another set of poles next to Bond. Concerned, 007 noted that 006 was not struggling, which meant that he was still unconscious. Alec had not moved once while they had been brought here. Damn, just how badly was he hurt? James tried to get a better look at his partner but even though the moon was full, light was too dim for him to make out any details.

Barracuda tipped a mock salute at his hat and jumped into the waiting jeep. His men cheered and fired shots of triumph into the night sky. The cars drove away and disappeared into the night, taking both their laughter and their insults with them.

"Alec?" Bond asked but only the sounds of the desert at night answered him. Grimly he flexed his hands. Although the ropes were tight, he could still move his fingers and twist his hand slightly. He could not reach the bonds themselves though, which was bad. For once, 006 and 007 were in far over their heads. No, he corrected himself. They were in deep, deep shit.

A moan was the first sign that his partner was regaining consciousness. "Alec?" When 006 did not reply, Bond repeated his question.

Alec groaned again, then broke into a coughing fit. Panting, he asked, "James?"

"Right beside you. How are you?"

"Fine."

Sure and elephants could fly. Bond was one hundred per cent certain that this was an outright lie. Alec's next remark really made the alarm bells ring.

"Don't worry. Been…worse."

Bond sighed but did not inquire further since Alec would obviously not give him a straight answer. "Can you move?"

"Give me a…moment."

From the suppressed grunts and groans that he heard, James suspected that 006 was struggling with the bindings. Unsuccessfully, as it seemed from the frustrated and pained curse that followed.

"Not really." After a moment Alec asked, "Where're we?"

"In the Sahara."

"Oh. That's great." James' colleague drew a few shaky breathes before he asked, "James? I know you love...a good quip but did you have to –" Alec coughed and continued, "compare the size of his balls with that of peas?"

"Sorry, Alec. I didn't expect him to take it out on you."

"Is all right. He deserved it." After a moment Alec asked, "If we're in the Sahara…then why's it so cold?"

James, who had been unsuccessfully tugging at the ropes again, felt his temper getting the better of him. "You had the same desert survival course as I, didn't you, 006?" James snapped. "You'd better concentrate on getting out of this than on the cold."

"I am," Alec replied, teeth chattering. "It's just – it's so cold, like ice."

Although his body shivered now and then, James did not find it that cold. He shot a worried glance into his friend's direction although he could not see him. That mumbled answer was nothing like Alec, who normally would have snapped back. James swallowed back both his anger and impatience and calmly said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

A faint "All right" was all he got as an answer. James sighed in helpless frustration and renewed his struggles. Since tugging and twisting did not work, he urged himself to think about anything that might be of help. But his watch was gone, and the gadgets in their boots were unreachable. This situation was so damn frustrating that he had the sudden urge to slam his head against something. But that would only drain his energy, and he needed every bit of it, especially since it was clearly up to him to get them both out of this. If only he knew how…

He had been lying there, his mind working in overdrive, when a sound between howling and laughter filled the night. Hyenas, James realised. "Don't worry, they won't come near until they're convinced we're dead."

"Great…so kind of them."

The sun was slowly creeping over the horizon and was stretching her rays out over the shifting sand. On any other day the sight would have been spectacular. Today it was an omen of death. Right now, James' cooled-out body welcomed the warmth but there would not be much time until it became unbearable hot. Now, with a bit more lighting, James looked at his partner and pressed his lips together. As he had suspected, Alec was far from being 'fine.' His left eye was almost completely swollen shut and blood had dried under his nose and some more covered his lips and chin. James could just hope that it was merely from minor head wounds since those tended to bleed strong but often were much less severe than they looked.

007 looked around. Only sand greeted his sight, red sand wherever he looked, and there was even more sand after he had blinked. He had grains on his face, in his mouth and more grains under his shirt. James lifted his head to examine the bindings at his legs. The ropes were as tight as they felt, as were the bindings at his left wrist. With desperation he turned his head to his right. The sun reflected on something half buried in the sand near his hand. He craned his neck to get a better look.

It was his watch and it was mere inches away from his fingers. 007 pulled at the ropes, pushed against the wooden pole, tried to work his fingers into the knots but the only thing he achieved was that the bounds dug into his skin. Blood trickled down where the rough fabric had scraped the skin off. James could have shouted in frustration. Rescue was so near and still out of reach.

Hungry sun rays licked at his body, giving James a taste of the heat that was to come. He closed his eyes for a moment to regain a bit of strength. Just a moment before he would try again…

Suddenly Bond heard a shuffling noise and a whine next to him. He turned his head and stared right into the eyes of a Hyena. "Piss off!" The animal fled, not without sending a shower of sand over James, who coughed and quickly looked to his right. Had the animal trampled his watch into the ground? He could have sung in joy. One of the paws had kicked the watch sideways, towards him. Ignoring the pain in his wrist, he stretched his fingers and grasped it. Immediately he activated one of the tiny built-in gadgets and cut the rope. The other bounds followed quickly.

As soon as he was free, he rolled to his feet and moved over to his partner, who looked even worse from close up. When he touched Alec's throat to check the pulse, he found that his skin was sticky with cold sweat.

Alec moaned at the touch. "James?" His eyelashes fluttered and then he looked at James with his healthy eye, slightly confused.

James grinned at him. "A Hyena rescued us." He withdrew his hand and freed Alec as fast as possible.

Sighing and with an effort, Alec sat up. He flexed his hands and moved his feet and legs as good as he could to get the circulation running.

Bond did the same after he had activated the distress signal. Hopefully, help would be nearby. "I don't know when they can extract us. We need to move."

Alec nodded and looked at him. "Give me a hand?"

"Sure." Carefully James pulled his partner up and steadied him when Alec threatened to fall. "How are you?"

"Just a few bruises and a bit shaky. It'll pass."

James looked him over and found that Alec really looked better. One hurdle was taken, they were free. That did not mean they were safe, though. The heat would kill them within a few hours unless they found some shade behind the next dunes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

They found neither shade nor water behind the next dune or anywhere near, which left them no choice but to move on. There was, however, a slight problem: They did not know where they were. If the night wind had not covered the tracks of The Barracuda's jeeps, they could have followed those to escape the hostile desert. But it had, erasing the most important clue as to their whereabouts. The two agents looked around. A hill-like dune attracted James' attention. As the highest elevation in sight, it was the most logical choice. Alec nodded in silent agreement.

Avoiding small dunes and other obstacles as much as possible, they moved through the hostile environment. 007 kept his gaze fixed on their destination and refused to think about the fact that they could well be moving into the wrong direction, going further into the desert instead of leaving it. There was nothing he could do about it anyway.

Although they had covered their heads with their jackets as protection against the sun, James soon felt dizzy. It had to be worse for Alec, who had received quite a beating. However, his friend appeared to be in a much better condition than last night. He was not shivering anymore and adapted to the pace James set with apparent ease. Still James kept a close eye on him, knowing Alec for his sometimes grim determination. The same determination that drove double-0 agents to do their jobs against all odds sometimes also hindered them to admit the need for help – and Alec was especially stubborn in this regard. James deliberately slowed down, expecting Alec to protest and when his friend did not, James was sure that he needed to be careful.

After what seemed like forever, they finally reached their destination. Majestically the dune rose in front of them. It towered into the sky and stretched out far to both sides. James had hoped that he could leave Alec on the shady side and climb up alone but as things were, to get some hopefully existing shade, you had to cross it first. Was Alec feeling good enough for this?

"Up for a little climb, 006?"

Alec met his gaze with a challenge. "After you, 007."

However, the task proved to be more difficult than James had anticipated. For every foot they gained, the shifting sand sent them half a foot down, which forced them to crawl rather than walk.

Finally standing on the crest of the dune, Bond felt desperation sweep over him. First, the dune was not steep enough on the other side to provide much shade, and second, he had hoped to see anything but this. Only sand greeted his gaze wherever he looked, red sand piling up to block their way or view. James could not make out a coastline, mountain range or the civilised interior of the country. Even worse, no green, not the tiniest spot, could be seen in any direction. This was nothing but a huge desolate wasteland and they were stranded in the middle. James surveyed the landscape again. There was something to the east of them but it was impossible to tell what it was.

007 checked his watch. One hour and a half had passed since he had started sending the distress signal. Since help would most probably come from the British base at Gibraltar, it should be here soon if the signal had been received. He listened intently while he was searching the azure sky for any signs of rescue. Only vultures were circling overhead.

James looked at Alec, who had closed his eyes either in denial or from exhaustion.

"Alec? Let's move on."

Bond was not sure what happened – either he had made the wrong movement or Alec had lost his footing - but the next moment they were tumbling down the other side of the dune. James landed hard on the hot sand and for a moment he just lay there, trying to catch his breath. He shook his head and rubbed his face to get rid of the grains of sand he had in his eyes, his nose and his mouth. James rolled over and looked at Alec, who pressed his eye lids shut and whose hands were curled to fists. From his pose and the way he was breathing, James judged that 006 was in severe pain.

James pushed himself up on his knees and crawled over to him. "Alec?" he asked, his hands already checking temperature and pulse. Both were not too good. That climb had clearly been too much for his friend. He grabbed Alec's shoulders and dragged him into the meagre shade. Not good at all, he thought when he looked for head wounds and ran a hand over Alec's ribs and Alec just let him. At least two of them were cracked, probably broken. James cursed himself for his stupidity. He should have checked Alec carefully for injuries the moment they had been free. If he had looked more closely he would have seen that Alec had not been able to estimate the extent of his injuries.

"Didn't realise...it was hurting so," Alec said. He had pushed himself halfway up when a coughing fit shook his body, making him sink down again.

"Easy." Bond grabbed him and pulled Alec against him so that his friend would not inhale any sand. Through the thick fabric of his clothes he felt Alec shiver. He let go of Alec when the coughing stopped so that they both could rest on the still cool sand. Alarmed, James noted red stains on Alec's hand and hoped they were not from internal bleeding. "Where exactly does it hurt, Alec?"

Alec's smile was wry. "Everywhere."

James sighed and looked around, once more scanning the horizon for help that just was not there. While the desert survival course had been a good preparation, he wished he had more experience with deserts but this was the first time James was lost in one while on a mission and he was not all too sure about his decisions.

They did not have shade for long and much too soon the sun and the heat forced them to move. He helped Alec up but this time he kept his arm slung around Alec's shoulders to offer support should Alec need it. As they moved on, the vultures were following them.


	3. Chapter 3

I apologise for this long time since the last update. Hope you still enjoy.

Desert heat3

Merciless heat hammered down on them while they staggered through the desert sand. By now James' shirt was soaked with sweat that was oozing out of his every pore and the sand in his clothes was rubbing off skin, adding more abrasions to the ones already there.

James was carrying much of Alec's weight and he doubted that his friend could stand without assistance. Only fierce determination kept Alec going.

However, they had not gotten very far when Alec's knees gave out under him. James swayed under his friend's weight but managed to keep his balance. Carefully he put his exhausted partner down and knelt next to him. He touched Alec's forehead with the back of his hand. Alec's skin felt much too hot but at least he was still sweating which was a good sign under the circumstances. Alec was only half conscious, though.

So they would wait. Going on was useless anyway - rescue would either come or not - and if there was neither shade nor water while they waited, then so be it. But James would do anything possible to buy them some time. He sat down with his back to the sun, lifted Alec's head and rested it in his lap. This way Alec would have a tiny bit of shade.

Soon James' entire body felt swollen, his joints, feet, hands, even his tongue. His throat was as dry as sand-paper.

Alec licked his cracked lips, not that it brought much relief as James knew, and said, "I didn't."

Bond frowned. Was his partner already delirious? "You didn't what?"

"Take the full desert course. I slipped away for the night...there was that warm tent." Alec coughed. "He was a real beauty, you know?"

"You mean she?"

"She was nice, too…but not as nice…" Alec's voice trailed off.

Quickly James checked his pulse and relieved he found that it was beating slowly but steadily. Rest was probably the best thing Alec could do anyway. James sighed. Should he attribute any importance to the feverish confessions Alec made? He was not sure, nor did he want to dwell on it here and now. What was more alarming was that he realised that he had heard Alec speak in this particular tone before and the memory that flashed trough his mind sent a shiver down his spine. James remembered that unpleasant night in Teheran, 1982, when Alec's blood had been all over him, seeping from three stab wounds rapidly. When the blood loss had no longer been life-threatening, Alec had fought a raging fever and had come close to dying in that shabby hotel room. And now, it seemed they had reached this point again.

The rendezvous time 007's had estimated drew near and passed without any rescue showing up. Five minutes went by, ten, fifteen. Stoically and without an option they waited on.

He thought his friend had fallen asleep but was startled when 006 asked, "James? Where're we?"

"In the Sahara."

Alec drew a deep breath, and James felt him stiffen in pain.

"I had hoped…that it was a nightmare." Alec looked up at the carnivorous birds.

"We aren't dead yet."

"Emphasis on…yet." Alec fell silent, and James hoped his friend would not continue with the topic. It could not end like this, not here, not now.

"I always thought...I'd die alone. But now – it's... strangely comforting to have a friend nearby."

Gently but firmly James squeezed Alec's shoulders. "You won't die, especially not alone. Not as long as I'm anywhere near."

"Don't. Don't promise…not in our profession."

"Only if you stop talking about dying."

The ghost of a smile that tugged at Alec's lips turned into a grimace when his body stiffened in pain.

The stretches of time during which Alec was asleep or unconscious increased. Only the raising and falling of his chest and his pulse reassured James during those minutes that his friend was still with him.

When Alec whispered his name, James moved his ear directly over Alec's cracked and bloodied lips.

"Have we…any water?"

"Afraid not."

"Hurts…"

"I know," James murmured, "I know. Just rest. Save your energy."

His friend would need any bit of strength if he was to recover – provided they survived long enough. At the moment it did not look like they would.

James' eyes searched the horizon in vain. Just where was the cavalry when you needed them?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Because the lsat update was so slow, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Desert Heat4

One moment nothing was in sight but in the blink of an eye lid, a dark spot had suddenly appeared in the distance. It had to be an animal; James did not dare to hope it could be anything else.

However, the spot was growing in size and James stiffened when he stared at what could only be a delusion of his heat-damaged brain. A weird vehicle which looked like a cross between tank and boat was moving towards them, covering the distance at great speed.

Soon James was able to identify the chimeric vehicle as a hovercraft. The question was, was it friend or foe approaching? In the end it did not matter if they were enemies; there was not much he could do, exhausted and with only his watch, special gimmicks or not. "I'll do the best I can to protect you, Alec," he murmured, "but I fear it's not much."

Bond tensed when the hovercraft stopped next to them but then the side door slid open and the most beautiful angel James had ever seen in his life stepped out. The angelic redhead called, "Commander Bond!" and rushed over to James and Alec. Four men followed her.

The men dropped a blanket next to Alec while she put a finger at Alec's throat to check the pulse.

"He isn't doing too well," James rasped out.

She nodded and gave a signal to the men, who stepped forward with the intention to lift Alec but when they tried to pry Alec from James' protective embrace, James irrationally tightened his grip on Alec, filled with the sudden fear that Alec would be gone forever if he released his grip. During the last hours, only the slight rise of Alec's chest and an occasional moan had assured James that his friend was still alive.

"Sir, you need to let go," she said reassuringly but in a firm voice.

Bond finally did. Breathing hard, James watched as they gently put Alec on the blanket and carried him to the hovercraft. The sudden emptiness in James' arms weighed more heavily than his friend's full weight ever could have. He sighed when they helped him onto a blanket as well. A moment later he was being lifted and two men carried him inside the hovercraft as well. The side door closed behind him.

Coolness surrounded Commander Bond and for a moment he just lay there, his exhausted body no longer able to do anything else. The vehicle vibrated when it began to move. He glanced around. Only Q could have created the hovercraft. This time James really owed the Major.

The angelic woman knelt down next to him and lifted his head. A bottle appeared out of nowhere and he opened his mouth when wonderful water dripped from it. The drops running into his mouth were not enough to quench his thirst, so he desperately tried to lift his head from her supporting hand.

"Slowly," she cautioned him. She tilted the bottle but withdrew it when his gulps became too greedy. "Sorry, Commander, but it would be harmful if you drank too much right now."

James was vaguely aware that they were removing his clothes and checking him over. All his attention, however, was fixed on the group of people caring for Alec. His view was blocked but words like "unstable" and "urgent" rekindled his fears, especially when he caught a glimpse of his friend's pale face.

"They're doing the best they can."

Though her English was almost perfect, his angel had the trace of an accent he could not place. The bottle nudged against his lips and he drank eagerly while trying to figure out where she might be from. Strangely, he could not, something that rarely happened.

007 felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Someone slipped his watch off his arm and when he started to protest, a needle pricked his arm. Sensing that something was wrong, 007 tried to get up but exhaustion and drowsiness took away all his strength. Just as he slipped into darkness, his gaze fell on the armatures. The letters on the displays were Cyrillic.


End file.
